Hyderabad: In Hyderabad, guavas, gooseberries, mulberries, Indian jujubes, and water apples are neatly arranged on plates and placed on a plastic mat spread on the ground. A group of lungi-clad men gather around, while one of them, sitting comfortably and leaning against a wall, invites bids for the fruit auction.
It is a scene in the Barkas area of the Old City. Barkas is a corrupted form of Barracks that houses the Yemeni cavalry of the Nizam army.
The fruits put up for auction are locally grown in the houses by the local residents who are descendants of the army men of the Nizam.
According to historians, the Yemeni community were invited to the city in the early 18th century and recruited into the Nizam army. They are known for their fighting skills.
Since the beginning, the community, as a hobby, had grown mulberry, guavas, figs and water apples in their houses. “After the Nizam rule ended, some of them made it a full-time profession and raised more plants to strengthen their finances,” explains a historian.
Things changed dramatically for these families after the Gulf boom and many moved to the Middle East to explore job opportunities.
Back home, the children continued with the traditional practice of plucking fruits from trees located in their houses and now in farm houses orchards a few kilometres away and bringing them to the market.
The social media and reels by influencers gave a new length to the market. The market gained recognition and curiosity-driven youngsters started visiting the place.
“Locally-grown fruits have a high demand for their organic value and are believed to be rich in nutrients,” explains Habeeb Mohammed Baghdadi, one of the auctioneers.
Habeeb has been a part of the market for the past 35 years. It’s his passion and loyalty to the business that brings him to the market even at the age of 65 years.
Any visitor can participate in the auction. A couple of hundred rupees are enough to take home sufficient mulberries, berries and guavas.
